BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's basketball team recorded its second victory of the week at Nelson Field House and third consecutive victory with a 55-46 decision over Millersville.
The story of the game for the Huskies was their collective defensive effort. Bloomsburg held the Marauders to 17-of-53 (.321 percent) shooting in the afternoon, the second-worst shooting by a Huskies' opponent this season. Trailing by three at the half, Bloomsburg's defensive effort intensified, holding Millersville to 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) in the second half.
Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) continues to string together strong performances in conference play. The freshman has at least eight points in her last five games, finishing in double figures in four out of five. Kale led all scorers and matched a career-high with 14 points to go with a pair of steals.
Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) turned in another all-around game, totaling eight points with game-highs of 11 rebounds and four steals.
The guard tandem of
Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin) and
Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) had solid shooting nights to spark the Huskies' offense. Kirsch was the only other Bloomsburg player to end the game in double digits with 10 points while knocking down a pair of threes. Off the bench, Stevenson chipped in with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Huskies improve to 7-16 on the season with a 5-12 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Millersville falls to 8-14 with a 6-10 record in conference action.
How It Happened:
The two teams battled through the early goings of the contest, with the sides trading the lead at several points throughout the beginning minutes. Kirsch opened the scoring for Bloomsburg with her first three of the game for the Huskies' first lead. Trailing 8-7,
Allison Hileman (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) supplied some instant offense off the bench with five consecutive points for Bloomsburg for a 12-8 just past the five-minute mark. The Marauders would erase that four-point deficit as the two teams finished the first 10 minutes of action tied at 15-15.
Millersville started the second quarter on the better foot, opening to an 11-3 run to take its largest lead, an eight-point advantage, at 26-18. Kale stopped the drought for the Huskies with a three-pointer with 2:30 left in the half. Stevenson and
Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) pieced together the last five points in the half, while E. Kale beat the buzzer to make it a 29-26 game in favor of the visitors.
Despite shooting 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from behind the arc through 20 minutes, Bloomsburg managed to shoot just 36 percent (9-of-25) from the floor.
The turnaround began in the third quarter with a 6-0 stretch for the Huskies to reclaim their lead at 32-29. L. Kale and Starr were focal points offensively in the third, with the duo combining for nine of Bloomsburg's 13 points in the quarter. Bloomsburg plugged up scoring opportunities for the Marauders as the visitors shot 23.1 percent in the third for seven points.
With the lead in hand to start the fourth, the Huskies' offense opened up with a 9-0 run in the fourth. Starr opened the quarter with a near-basket jumper while Stevenson rattled off five points to give the home side its most sizable advantage of the night at 48-36. Millersville forced the lead down to single-digits, but an over three-minute defensive stand halted any momentum for the Marauders. Kirsch and Kale were able to push the lead back over double digits as Bloomsburg continued to stand firm on the defensive end.
On the Horizon:
The Huskies are back at Nelson Field House on Saturday, February 10, at 1:00 p.m. against Millersville.
